On the occasion of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple announced a set of new accessibility features for iPhones and iPads. Among the new features is the ability to control devices via eye movements, haptic feedback accompanying audio, voice shortcuts, and a solution to prevent motion sickness while using devices in moving vehicles, among others.
The eye-tracking feature will allow users to navigate between system interfaces and applications using only their eyes. This feature is activated through the AI-supported Eye Tracking app, which uses the front camera to quickly set up and calibrate the device. The data used for configuring and controlling this feature is stored securely on the device without being shared with Apple, and it works without the need for additional devices or accessories.
The Music Haptics feature enables deaf or hard-of-hearing iPhone users to experience music in a new and innovative way. When activated, the device's vibration motor produces distinctive vibrations that sync with the music, enhancing users' understanding and enjoyment of it. This feature works with millions of audio and musical tracks in Apple Music and will be available as an API for developers with audio applications.
Apple will also add voice shortcuts, allowing iPhone and iPad users to assign "custom phrases" that the voice assistant Siri can understand to trigger shortcuts and complete complex tasks.
Additionally, Apple will provide the "Vehicle Motion Cues" feature to prevent motion sickness when using iPhones and iPads while traveling in cars, displaying moving black dots on the sides of the screen to simulate vehicle movement.
Apple will update the CarPlay system to support voice control, color filters, and voice recognition. The voice recognition feature in CarPlay will enable drivers or passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing to activate alerts to notify them about car horns and external sirens.
In the visionOS system, Apple will introduce a captioning feature to convert conversations and speech into written text displayed on the screen for users with hearing impairments.
More accessibility features are expected to be announced with the new operating systems next month and will be launched for users later this year.
